September 10, 2026
Three people were kidnapped on Monday, September 7, 2026, the first day of the school year in Haiti, in two distinct areas of the country. Radio Métropole journalist Wesly Renaud Jean was kidnapped in Delmas 31, while Attorney Caleb Jean-Baptiste and Stéphanie Paultre, Director General of ONAPE, were kidnapped in La Croix Périsse, in the Gros-Morne area.
The precise circumstances of these three kidnappings remain to be established, while no confirmed information was yet available on where the victims might be held. The possible demands of the kidnappers and the health condition of the three individuals also remain unknown at the time of publication.
These new cases recall that the phenomenon of kidnapping continues to affect figures from different sectors, while Hervé Boussiquot, former Director General of ONAPE, had been kidnapped in Delmas 75. James Boyard, chief of staff to Defense Minister Mario Andrésol, is for his part still in the hands of his kidnappers, more than a month after his kidnapping.
The multiplication of these cases comes as the country heads toward elections scheduled for December 13, 2026. Without establishing a direct link between the kidnappings and the electoral process, this upsurge in kidnapping fuels concerns about the security conditions under which this political event will have to take place.
